Nicolet
Minerals Continues Misinformation Campaign over Cyanide Ban;
Research Finds At Least 23 Transportation- Related Cyanide Accidents
in the U.S.
Federal records show at least 23
transportation-related spills of cyanide in the U.S. in recent
years, despite claims by the owner of the Crandon mine that such
spills have never occurred in this country.
A citizen's group reviewed hazardous
materials spills that were reported to the federal Emergency Release
Notification System for the years 1987-1997. "Our research proves
that the claims that there have never been any transportation-related
spills of sodium cyanide are untrue," said Dave Blouin, Research
Coordinator for the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin. (Table
included)

LA
CROSSE TRIBUNE / WINONA DAILY NEWS* Name of CD: Crandon Mine * Style: Light
rock * Availability: Send $12 to Lazarus, 248 E. Bank St., Fond du
Lac, WI 54935 * For more Information: Call
(920) 921-6575 * Bio: Dan Gifford, who plays guitar,- bass and keyboards., was
born in Winona. He is a speech pathologist working in northern Wisconsin.
He is a singer-songwriter, who wrote a rock song about the Crandon Mine
controversy from an American Indian perspective. Other songs contain
timely lyrics about the current state of affairs in the world today.

Poll Shows 91% Say Mining Waste Should Meet
Same Standards as Other Waste

Hearings needed on "No Special Treatment" Bills

State lawmakers should close current loopholes for mining waste, according
to 91% of those responding to a recent statewide poll.

By a margin of 20-to-1, Wisconsin residents say mining waste sites should
be required to meet the same hazardous waste and groundwater standards
as landfills and waste sites for other industries.�

"Important bills have been introduced to eliminate the current laws
that give special treatment for mining," said Dave Blouin, Sierra Club
state mining committee chair.� "It's time for both the Assembly and
Senate to schedule hearings and votes on the bipartisan 'no special
treatment' bills to protect our groundwater and wetlands from mining
waste."

The proposed bills were the subject of a question in the July Wisconsin
Trends poll by Chamberlain Research.� The following question was asked
of 600 Wisconsin residents 18 and over.� The margin of error is plus
or minus 3.97%:

Mines are currently exempt from certain environmental regulations.�
Should new mining waste sites be required to show they can meet the
same hazardous waste regulations and groundwater standards as landfills
or waste sites for other industries?

Assembly Bill 420, introduced by Rep. Terri McCormick (R-Appleton) and
Rep. Judy Krawczyk (R-Green Bay), and Senate Bill 157, introduced by
Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) would close loopholes for mining in Wisconsin's
environmental laws, such as the current provision exempting mining waste
from hazardous waste laws.� The "no special treatment" bills are identical
to one that passed the Senate last session but was not voted on in the
Assembly.��

"Wisconsin residents overwhelming say they want effective and fair regulation
of mining," said Caryl Terrell, Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter Executive
Director.� "We hope that legislators want the same thing and that they
take action soon to close mining loopholes."

Terrell said the proposed bills would require mining waste facilities
to prove they can meet the same groundwater standards as landfills or
other waste sites.� "Mining waste sites, like other waste sites, should
be required to meet groundwater standards within 150 fee, once they
are operating.� The problem is that the state will give a mine an operating
permit if computer models show it can meet that standard 1,200 feet
away, after pollution has spread and levels are diluted," said Terrell.�
"The bills would require mines to show they can actually meet the groundwater
standards before the state will allow them to operate."�

Blouin said the new law might lead to improvements in the design of
the waste facility for the proposed Crandon mine at the headwaters of
the Wolf River.� "At least 11 ordinary landfills in Wisconsin have double
liners to make sure they don't leak," said Blouin.� "The owners of the
Crandon mine only want one liner.� Their tailings dump will hold wastes
that are far more dangerous than ordinary landfill waste.� It ought
to be designed to be at least as safe, not just for today, but for the
thousands of years that the untreated wastes will sit there."

It's unlikely that mine quest is over

Green Bay Press-Gazette
Sep. 23, 2002
John Dipko

MADISON - As BHP Billiton seeks a buyer for a major mining project
near Crandon, Northeastern Wisconsin lawmakers continue their quest
to lower the chance that any future project threatens the environment.

Both efforts offer evidence that the 25-year-old "mine ride" won't
end anytime soon.

BHP Billiton, an Australia-based mining giant and the latest in a
list of companies that have owned the project over the past quarter-century,
said last week it would no longer pursue plans to mine 55 million tons
of zinc and copper ore from the site.

Environmentalists who have long fought the project cheered the decision
but acknowledged the Crandon mine controversy probably wouldn't end
there.

The leader of Nicolet Minerals, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, said
the company would not withdraw its state permit application for the
project, and he's optimistic the project would sell, possibly within
a few months.

Tougher standards

With the prospect of another owner in mind, state Sen. Dave Hansen,
D-Green Bay, said he'd push for legislation that would hold the mine
industry to the same groundwater quality standards and solid waste disposal
rules that other industries must meet.

The legislation, which Hansen co-authored, died last legislative session.

"We need to remain vigilant in protecting what is widely regarded
as one of the state's greatest natural treasures, the Wolf River," said
Hansen, vice chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources Committee.
"While some will take comfort in the fact that BHP Billiton has decided
not to pursue the Crandon mine, there remains a concern that our laws
are not strict enough to prevent some other corporation from abusing
the resource and causing potentially permanent damage to the Wolf River
in their attempts to open and operate the mine."

"We can't do something that, two years down the line, we look at and
say, 'Oops, we should have watched this,' " Krawczyk said. "I am not
anti-business. But there's got to be a way that business and the environment
can work together. Terri and I are looking 20 years down the line."

Cyanide ban

Another piece of legislation that died last session called for the
ban on the use of cyanide in mining.

Cyanide is used in mining to separate metals from crushed rock in
water.

Hansen said he'd continue supporting efforts to pass that ban.

Krawczyk supported the cyanide ban last session, and she thinks she'll
do the same when the issue returns. But she wants to do more research
first.

"There are 26 other mines that use mining techniques other than cyanide,"
she said. "There are gentler ways to mine that ore. That's what we want
to keep in mind."

Wisconsin Energy settles cyanide lawsuit

September 05, 2002
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin Energy Corp. agreed to pay a company $8.7 million
to settle a lawsuit accusing the utility of dumping cyanide-tainted
wood chips at two sites.

The decision will reduce the utility's third-quarter earnings by 4.5
cents a share. The company also plans to take another 4.5-cent charge
for an identical settlement reached in May with the city of West Allis.

Still, the settlements end a lawsuit filed by the city and Giddings
& Lewis Inc. of Fond du Lac in 1996.

"We are pleased to come to this settlement agreement," Wisconsin Energy
spokesman Chris Iglar said. "It's in the mutual best interest of We
Energies and Giddings & Lewis, and we are happy to put the matter behind
us."

Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Energy is the parent company of We Energies,
formerly Wisconsin Electric Power Co.

West Allis and Giddings & Lewis sued the utility over contamination
at a former gravel pit owned by the city and at an industrial site once
owned by a subsidiary of Giddings & Lewis.

In 1999, a jury decided the utility had knowingly dumped tainted wood
chips on the land. The jury ordered Wisconsin Electric to pay $4.5 million
in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages.

The company appealed. A state appeals court threw out the $100 million
verdict in September 2001 and ordered a new trial, which was scheduled
to start in October.

West Allis - We Energies on Tuesday agreed to pay West Allis $8.7
million to settle a 6-year-old lawsuit over the company's dumping of
cyanide-laced wood chips at two locations in the city in the 1950s.

The money, which will be used to build and upgrade city firehouses,
is a fraction of the record $100 million punitive judgment initially
awarded against Wisconsin Electric Power Co. but overturned on appeal
last year.

Still, West Allis Mayor Jeannette Bell called Tuesday "a great day
for the city," and Common Council President Paul Murphy heralded the
settlement as a victory that will be felt throughout the community for
decades.

"It's a significant amount of money," said Murphy, who announced the
terms Tuesday in front of the city's original 1920s fire station on
W. National Ave.

"We think it's a very fair settlement . . . that will provide the
taxpayers of West Allis with significant benefits," he said.

Walter Kunicki, vice president of consumer relations for We Energies,
formerly Wisconsin Electric, characterized the agreement as fair for
both the city and the utility.

He said the utility has a strong environmental ethic, noting that
the cyanide-laced wood chips were dumped by a company that WEPCO subsequently
purchased.

The settlement prohibits West Allis from pursuing any future claims
against the utility. However, it does not resolve claims by Giddings
& Lewis Inc., which had joined the City of West Allis in the original
lawsuit.

As part of the agreement with West Allis, the money will be used to
construct a new fire station already planned on the northwest corner
of S. 73rd St., renovate the original firehouse next door into the department
headquarters and upgrade the city's two other existing stations, officials
said.

Total cost, including the new station, has been estimated at $7.6
million. Murphy said the city also would save money now by paying cash
for the projects.

Murphy dismissed any comparison with the $100 million verdict, saying
the city was "starting from zero" on the punitive damages after they
were overturned on appeal. It was unclear how the city would fare, he
noted, with a new judge and jury.

The case was returned to Milwaukee County for a retrial after the
state Supreme Court decided in February not to review the appellate
decision throwing out the landmark $100 million punitive damages award
against the company.

The case began in 1996 when the city and Giddings & Lewis Inc. sued
Wisconsin Electric over contaminated land at a city-owned former gravel
pit at S. 113th St. and W. Greenfield Ave. and at an industrial site
just west of 555 S. 108th St. once owned by Giddings & Lewis.

The properties were used as dumping sites for 26,000 tons of tainted
wood chips in the 1950s, the city and company say.

A jury decided in July 1999 that Racine Gas Co., later acquired by
Wisconsin Electric, knowingly dumped the chips. Before natural gas became
available in Milwaukee in 1952, the company manufactured the fuel by
compressing coal and running it through a purifier that left cyanide
as a residue.

The appeals court rejected the punitive damages award because it failed
to meet Wisconsin's five-sixths law, which requires that five out of
six jurors in a civil trial agree to all questions essential to a verdict.

In this case, 11 of 14 jurors agreed to all of the issues before them.

An award of $4.5 million in compensatory damages, used for cleanup,
remained intact.

In a related case, Wisconsin Electric agreed in January to pay $3.5
million to settle a shareholder lawsuit related to the wood chip dumping.

Wisconsin Electric Power Co. won a procedural victory Thursday when
the state Supreme Court decided not to review an appeals court decision
that threw out a landmark $100 million punitive damages award against
the company.

But the case, which surrounds the utility's dumping of cyanide-laced
wood chips decades ago in West Allis, is not over.

The punitive damages - the largest such award in Wisconsin history
- goes back to be re-tried in Milwaukee County.

"My main reaction is let's get it on, and let's go back and try this
case and put it all in public," said Mark Leitner, an attorney for West
Allis and Giddings & Lewis.

The initial trial took 41/2 weeks, and Leitner said a new trial would
take about two weeks. He anticipated that new evidence would be raised
by both sides.

Wisconsin Electric said it was pleased with the decision. "We believe
the appellate court's ruling was well-reasoned and legally correct,"
said Larry Salustro, senior vice president and general counsel for Wisconsin
Electric.

The two sides could settle the case before a new trial begins. Leitner
said his clients are not opposed to reaching a settlement, but Wisconsin
Electric declined to comment on the matter.

The case began in 1996 when the city and Giddings & Lewis Inc. sued
Wisconsin Electric over contaminated land at a city-owned former gravel
pit at S. 113th St. and W. Greenfield Ave. and at an industrial site
just west of 555 S. 108th St. once owned by Giddings & Lewis. The properties
were used as dumping sites for 26,000 tons of tainted wood chips in
the 1950s, the city and company say.

A jury decided in July 1999 that Wisconsin Electric knowingly dumped
the chips. Before natural gas became available in Milwaukee in 1952,
Wisconsin Electric manufactured the fuel by compressing coal and running
it through a purifier that left cyanide as a residue.

The appeals court rejected the punitive damages award because it failed
to meet Wisconsin's five-sixths law, which requires that five out of
six jurors in a civil trial agree to all questions essential to a verdict.

In this case, 11 of 14 jurors agreed to all of the issues before them.
An award of $4.5 million in compensatory damages, used for cleanup,
remained intact.

In a related case, Wisconsin Electric agreed last week to pay $3.5
million to settle a shareholder lawsuit related to the wood chip dumping.

Excerpts from:

CRANDON PROJECT -
PYRITE FLOTATION AND FLOTATION REAGENTS

Submitted to the Department of Natural Resources
State of Wisconsin
June 21, 1999

NMC intends to use ten modifying reagents at several stages in the
flotation process to accomplish the desired separation of the mineral
into four concentrates: lead, copper, zinc and pyrite. These modifiers
are listed in Table 1. The use of these reagents is typical of the flotation
technology for the type of ore being treated. Due to the absence of
markets for pyrite, the flotation of pyrite is no longer practiced commercially.
An exception can be found in cases where it is advantageous to float
the pyrite to get rid of it. In such instance, the desired metal is
recovered as the flotation�s tails (reverse flotation).

Table 1. Summary of Crandon Concentrator Modifying
Reagents.

Modifier

Main Function

Sodium cyanide

Pyrite and sphalerite depressant

Sodium Cyanide
Sodium cyanide is used to depress Zn and pyrite in the Cu/Pb flotation
circuit and Zn and pyrite in the Pb flotation circuit. It is an acutely
toxic material and must be handled with care. A truckload of cyanide
will probably be delivered to the plant every 4-5 weeks. A two-week
inventory would consist of nine or ten 1-ton bags of cyanide. Most of
the residual cyanide will end in the pyrite concentrate.

Environmentally, the chief hazard is the free cyanide. NMC will add
from 30-100 g/t of sodium cyanide to the flotation process. In Mr. Chiesa�s
letter to Mr. Moe, the fate of an average consumption of 69 g/t of sodium
cyanide was used to estimate the free cyanide effluent for Crandon�s
concentrator. The equivalent average cyanide concentration is 37 g/t,
and the average concentration of cyanide in the mill process water can
be calculated to be 11.5 mg/L. This cyanide is destroyed in the concentrator
as it reacts with the minerals and other reagents forming insoluble
compounds that attach to the pyrite concentrate. The concentration of
residual cyanide remaining in the mill process water for backfilling
is estimated at 0.34 mg/L. This estimate is based on a study of residual
cyanide in flotation mills conducted by the EPA.

Small amounts of the cyanide will remain in the final tailings water
going to the TMA. The free cyanide will chemically decompose in the
tailings pond. If needed, the free cyanide can be readily neutralized
using calcium or sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, or by the INCO
process (sulfur dioxide in the presence of copper sulfate.) Sodium cyanide
is one of the three reagents that could present an off-site hazard due
to its toxicity and the fact that sufficiently large quantities will
be stored and handled by the concentrator. Federal and state departments
of transportation regulate the shipping of sodium cyanide. NMC and its
suppliers will have to conform to established procedures for the safe
shipping of this reagent. In the plant, the storage and handling of
sodium cyanide must follow guidelines established by the EPA and by
the OSHA. NMC�s addresses the design of the reagent warehouse in Section
4.13.2.2.3 of the MPA.

CRANDON PROPOSAL - CYANIDE ISSUES

Background Paper, Feb. 2000

Sodium cyanide is to be used as a chemical reagent or solvent to help
release precious metals-gold and silver-from the ore. Sodium cyanide
is acutely toxic to any living thing. Incredibly small amounts of cyanide
can kill fish. For example, cyanide measured at between 20-80 parts
per billion can kill rainbow and brown trout. Birds and mammals that
either drink water or feed on cyanide-poisoned wildlife can be killed
if they are exposed to cyanide at between 40-200 parts per million.
The same amount would be fatally toxic to humans.

Sodium cyanide is one of at least three chemicals that would present
significant risks to the environment from being transported to the site
and as well, from being stored on-site. Two others, sulfur dioxide (poisonous
gas, proposed use-60 tons per month) and sulfuric acid (corrosive liquid,
proposed use-220 tons per month) are also very toxic and present transportation
and storage issues. Other chemicals proposed for use at Crandon and
that are of concern include sodium dichromate (toxic crystals, 34 tons
per month) and copper sulfate (toxic powder, fungicide, 160 tons per
month).

A consultant to Wisc Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Andres
Trevino, reviewed Rio Algom's Nicolet Mineral Company (NMC) documents
related to the chemical processing of ores proposed at Crandon. He reported
that should NMC use cyanide at the highest estimated rate, it would
need a truckload of cyanide approximately every 4-5 weeks. A one month
inventory then would consist of 18-20 tons of cyanide. If the mine were
to operate for 28 years, over 6000 tons of cyanide would be required.

Trevino reported that most of the residual cyanide would end up in
the pyrite concentrate that is proposed to be back-filled into the mine
and potentially in contact with groundwater. Trevino also reports that
at least some residual cyanide will end up in the waste tailings dump.
He states that the cyanide will chemically decompose in the pond. But
this statement doesn't tell the whole story. Cyanide will break down
into other compounds and complexes when exposed to sunlight. But colder
temperatures, such as in northern Wisconsin, can inhibit the breakdown
of cyanide. Leftover cyanide at very small concentrations can harm birds
or other wildlife that drink tailings pond water. Cyanide can also break
down and form complexes with other chemicals or metals and remain as
toxic.

For example, in May, 1995, the Northparkes copper-gold mine in New
South Wales, Australia (owned by North Ltd.) killed at least 2,700 birds.
The tailings dump at the mine had high levels of copper-cyanide complexes
(cyanocuprate complexes) that were not monitored for. Research is showing
that these mixes of cyanide with other metals and chemicals can be just
as toxic as cyanide itself, but that they are not routinely monitored
or carefully regulated.

Cyanide can be treated to become less toxic, but Trevino does not
report that NMC is proposing any active destruction of the toxic chemical.
Instead, it appears that NMC is simply expecting any leftover cyanide
to break down naturally in the tailings dump.

Crandon proposal summary

As much as 18-20 tons of cyanide per month is proposed to be transported
and stored at the site.

There are significant amounts of precious metals-gold and silver-
in the Crandon deposit. WI DNR estimated (1986) as much as 1,100,000
ounces of gold, and 63,000,000 ounces of silver.

Cyanide and other toxics (e.g. sulfuric acid, sodium dichromate)
pose environmental risks from transportation and storage at the site
and also from residuals that would be disposed in the tailings dump
and in the tailings back-filled into the abandoned mine.

Cyanide is a powerful solvent that also further breaks down heavy
metals such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, lead, and others that end
up as waste products needing to be dumped.

Cold temperatures slow down the natural breakdown of cyanide into
other less toxic compounds.

Cyanide recovery or destruction systems are available to mining
companies, but NMC is not proposing to use a system currently.

Cyanide is highly toxic and has been the cause of many environmental
disasters-see additional examples cited the Mineral Policy Center
below. The examples prove that disasters such as the Aurul mine waste
spill in Romania are not unique. Cyanide spills are increasingly common.

1. Description of Legislation: This bill explicitly
prohibits the use of cyanide or cyanide compounds in conjunction with
any metallic mineral mining or ore processing operations in the state.
The mining industry generally uses cyanide compounds in one of two ways,
as a reagent in the mineral separation process called flotation or as
a leaching agent primarily for the recovery of gold. In a flotation
operation, such as that proposed by Nicolet Minerals Company for the
Crandon Project, sodium cyanide would be stored and used within a building
and would be added to the mineral separation process flow stream in
very small quantities to facilitate physical separation of the valuable
minerals containing lead, zinc and copper. Such use of sodium cyanide
has been common in the mining industry for over 80 years and is much
different than the more recently developed process of heap leaching.
The heap leaching process basically involves percolating cyanide solutions
through large ore or waste piles to remove gold contained in the material.
Heap leaching also involves storage of very large volumes of cyanide-rich
solutions and waste materials in containment facilities of varied design
and it has generally been these facilities that have leaked or failed,
ultimately releasing cyanide to the environment. The proposed legislation
would prohibit the use of cyanide in both of these processes.

2. Legislative Action in Previous Sessions: The proposal
is similar to AB-936 introduced in the spring of 2000. However, AB-936
was not as broad as the current bill since it only proposed to ban the
use of cyanide-ore processing reagents used in ore leaching operations.
The bill was introduced late in legislative session and subsequently
no action was taken on the proposal. The department took a neutral position
on the bill.

3. Policy/Administrative Effect: The proposed bill
would clearly state that cyanide compounds may not be used as part of
future mining operations in the state. In addition to prohibiting cyanide
leaching operations the bill would also preclude operations that would
use cyanide as part of its flotation process. Under current policy,
the use of cyanide compounds for mining operations could be permitted
as long as the applicant can demonstrate that the chemicals would be
handled and stored properly on the site and that residual cyanide in
waste materials would be of sufficiently low concentrations to comply
with all applicable standards. Operators of future mining operations
would need to evaluate whether the mineral separation and/or recovery
process could be effectively accomplished using alternative chemical
reagents. While some alternative reagents have been used successfully
at certain mining operations, none have been effectively used over a
broad spectrum of applications.

If passed, this legislation would be significant in
that it would establish an industry-specific ban on the use of a particular
chemical while other industries in the state could continue to use the
same chemical. Cyanide-containing compounds are used by over forty different
industrial facilities around the state. It is possible this legislation
would be vulnerable to an equal protection challenge. Thus, this legislation
would not affect the current use of cyanide compounds in this state,
nor would it eliminate the shipment of cyanide compounds through the
state. There appears to be no federal law with which this bill would
either complement or conflict. There is no comparable prohibition in
federal laws dealing with mining in general or mining operations situated
on federal land.

4. Fiscal Affect: This bill would not have any direct
fiscal impacts on state or local units of government. It is possible
that the only economically viable means of developing certain mineral
deposits is through the use of cyanide compounds. If this legislative
proposal were enacted, exploitation of such resources and realization
of any attendant revenues would be precluded. However, assignment of
a value to these situations would be completely speculative and of little
utility.

5. Impact on other Bureaus: This bill would have little impact on
any Department program.

7. Administrative Rules: This proposal would not require creation
or revision of any administrative rules to implement the policy.

8. Effective Date: This bill should be effective upon passage.

9. Land Use Impacts: This bill would result in little practical change
in land use policy in the state. If enacted, it could preclude development
of certain mineral deposits for which the only economic means of operation
involve the use of cyanide compounds.

10. Recommendation: The effect of this bill is to
prohibit the use of cyanide-containing compounds for any purpose as
part of metallic mineral mining operations. It does not distinguish
between the use of such materials for leaching operations, which results
in much higher concentrations of cyanide and greater risk, from use
in flotation process, which uses low concentrations of cyanide compounds
and is widely considered to pose little to no significant environmental
threat. While the environmental acceptability of leaching operations
is arguable, a prohibition on the use of cyanide compounds in flotation
processes does not appear to be warranted and is inconsistent with the
permitted use of similar compounds by other industries in the state.
The Department should oppose this proposal because it would arbitrarily
impose an unnecessarily broad restriction on the use of a widely used
and accepted chemical.

City plans more tests
at Summerfest

May 18, 2001
Pete Millard
Business Journal of Milwaukee

The city of Milwaukee will initiate a series of environmental tests
to determine how widespread and severe cyanide contamination is at the
Summerfest grounds in Henry W. Maier Festival Park. Milwaukee officials
agreed to do more testing at the Summerfest grounds after meeting with
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources May 14.

The city's decision came three days after The Business Journal documented
that the investigation of the contamination on the grounds had not been
completed since cyanide and other dangerous chemicals were first discovered
at the site in 1994.

"We are asking (the city) to give us a three-dimensional picture of
how far (the cyanide) may have migrated laterally and how deep it is,"
said Jim Schmidt, a DNR remediation and redevelopment specialist at
the agency's southeastern Wisconsin headquarters.

"DNR needs a more comprehensive geotechnical investigation to delineate
the contamination," said Paul Biedrzycki, the manager of disease control
and prevention for the city health department. "The investigation will
give us a better understanding of health risks and issues," Biedrzycki
said.

Cyanide was originally detected at the Summerfest grounds in 1994
when an engineering firm was taking soil samples in a staff parking
lot near the Summerfest administration building. Summerfest officials
had commissioned Giles Engineering Associates, a Waukesha engineering
firm, to conduct an initial geotechnical survey in preparation for the
expansion of Summerfest's ethnic festivals buildings in 1994.

After cyanide and benzene were discovered in the soil samples, the
parking lot site was abandoned as a building location. The engineering
firm notified the DNR of the contamination in late 1994.

The state's environmental regulatory agency sent "responsible party"
letters in 1995 to the city, outlining steps that should be taken to
identify the severity and source of the contamination. However, the
city never complied, and the DNR did not follow up to make sure the
city followed up on the analysis of the contamination.

"There's no great cause for alarm," said Steve Jacquart, spokesman
for Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist. "The timing is good now with other
building plans going on (at the lakefront) to make it easier to go forward
with the testing."

The results of the new testing could have significant financial impact
on both Summerfest, the state and the city. Summerfest officials plan
to launch a $30 million building program at the festival grounds. The
state has plans to develop Lakeshore State Park on 22 acres of nearby
open space along the downtown shoreline. The city owns the lakefront
festival grounds, which are leased to Milwaukee World Festivals Inc.,
the parent organization of Summerfest.

"There is a commitment to work with the state and Summerfest to work
out a site assessment and any remediation, if it's necessary," said
Jacquart.

The land along the shoreline was once a U.S. military reservation and
before that a municipal dump. A railroad yard once abutted the property.

DNR officials are hoping the additional geotechnical testing will help
identify the source of the cyanide contamination. The initial survey
in 1994 noted that a manufactured gas plant less than a quarter of mile
west of the Summerfest site in the 3rd Ward may have been the source
for the contamination. The former Milwaukee Gas & Light Co. was remediated
by Wisconsin Gas Co. in the late 1990s and is now the property of Wisconsin
Energy Corp.

Summerfest officials are concerned that widespread soil and groundwater
contamination beneath Henry W. Maier Festival Park could threaten the
festival's future by limiting its growth and complicating lease negotiations
with the city.

October 11, 2001

For more information, contact Bill McClenahan
(608/259-1212 ext. 4)

Forest County Potawatomi
Chairman Frank Urges Legislature to Close Environmental Loopholes for
Mining Bill Would Eliminate Exemptions From Groundwater and Hazardous
Waste Laws

Potawatomi Tribal Chairman Harold "Gus" Frank led off the public testimony
in fighting for a bill to close loopholes in environmental laws for
mining.

On October 11, 2001, Chairman Frank told the Senate Committee on Environmental
Resources in Milwaukee that Senate Bill 271 "eliminates special treatment
and loopholes for mining. It eliminates the provision that says mining
waste is not hazardous waste." The bill should be passed "as our responsibility
to our families today and the families of our children�s children,"
he said.

The Chairman told legislators that a Potawatomi poll in June found
that 90% of Wisconsinites favor closing such loopholes for mines. "We
must respect the wishes of Wisconsin�s citizens and ensure that Wisconsin�s
mining laws are as strong as they can be," Chairman Frank said at the
hearing.

Bill McClenahan, a lobbyist for the Potawatomi from Martin Schreiber
& Associates, testified that the bill would change the law so that waste
facilities at mines are not allowed to pollute groundwater more than
even a municipal landfill could. Requiring mines to meet groundwater
standards based on criteria that are at least as tough as those for
landfills is important for two reasons, he said. First, the tailings
dumps at the proposed Crandon mine are located in sensitive areas of
wetlands and streams and, second, mining waste does not degrade over
time like typical landfill waste.

Chairman Frank told the committee, " The Potawatomi live very near
the proposed Crandon mine. We are worried about what the mine will do
to our land, our water and our air. We are concerned because we know
that the EPA says metallic mining is responsible for more toxic pollution
than any other source.

"We are concerned because the mine is near the headwaters of the Wolf
River, the only river in the state to qualify as a federal Wild and
Scenic River. We are concerned because the mine is owned by a company
halfway around the world. The impacts of that company�s actions in Wisconsin
will not affect their homes and families; it is our homes and families
that are at risk."

The Chairman concluded that "We must eliminate the loopholes and special
exemptions. We must pass this bipartisan bill."

May 31, 2001

For more information, contact Bill McClenahan
(608/259-1212 ext. 4)

Potawatomi
Chairman Applauds Vote to Ban Cyanide in Mining

Potawatomi Tribal Chairman Gus Frank applauded today�s
bipartisan vote by a legislative committee to ban the use of cyanide
in mining. "Legislators realize we must not risk poisoning waters
like the Wolf River through the unnecessary use of an extremely toxic
chemical like cyanide," Frank said. "The people of Northern
Wisconsin thank them. All the people should thank them."

"Rivers around the country and around the world
have been poisoned by the use of cyanide in mining," the chairman
said. Examples include the February 2000 spill in Romania that left
thousands of dead fish in the Tisza and Danube Rivers. Cyanide from
the Summitville mine in Colorado poisoned 17 miles of the Alamosa River.
Repeated cyanide spills in Montana led voters to restrict its use there.
"Wisconsin must not risk losing waters like the Wolf River to this
poison," Frank said.

The bill to ban the use of cyanide in mining, Senate
Bill 160, was recommended on a bipartisan 4-1 vote by the Senate Committee
on Environmental Resources today. The bill now goes to the full Senate.

"No mining company can ensure that pipes will
never leak, pumps will never break, trucks will never crash, landfills
will never leak and floods will never occur." Frank said. "One
teaspoon of a 2% solution of cyanide is toxic to humans. Much smaller
quantities are toxic to fish and aquatic life. Cyanide is simply too
dangerous to use at the Crandon site or any of the many other potential
mine sites in Northern Wisconsin."

The proposed Crandon mine is hear the Potawatomi reservation
and the headwaters of the pristine Wolf River. Nicolet Minerals Company
proposes to use between 7 and 18 tons of cyanide to process ore at the
site. Much of the cyanide waste will simply be dumped in a landfill
at the mine site because mines are not subject to hazardous waste laws.

The chairman noted that most other zinc and copper
mines use alternatives to cyanide to process ore. "Wisconsin citizens
and Wisconsin fish should not be forced to accept the risks of cyanide
use just to save the mining company the expense of using alternatives
to cyanide," Frank said.

Although Nicolet Minerals Company argues that it will
use a different type of ore processing than many of the mines where
cyanide disasters have occurred, the chairman said most accidents happen
before or after the actual processing of the ore. "We don�t want
truckloads of cyanide on our roads. We don�t want cyanide waste dumped
in tailings ponds. I�m glad that legislators see the need to protect
the people, the fish and the waters of Wisconsin," Frank said.

The Forest County Potawatomi Community is part of a
broad group of conservationists, environmentalists and Native Americans
which supports Senate Bill 160. At the April Conservation Congress meetings,
a proposal to ban the use of cyanide in mining was approved by a 10-to-1
margin.

Nicolet Minerals Company
Says That Fear Mongering
And Harassment Will Not Stop The Mine

Opponents to the Crandon Mining Project in Forest County are using
a campaign of misinformation, misstatements, and fear mongering in an
effort to frighten people about a common industrial chemical that has
been used safely in Wisconsin for decades.

"Despite this latest round of legislative harassment, Nicolet Minerals
Company will persist and will prevail," said Nicolet's President Dale
Alberts. "We have an excellent project that will provide approximately
400 family wage earning jobs, nearly $400 million in capital investment,
approximately $1.5 billion directly into the Wisconsin economy, and
over $425 million in local, state and federal taxes.

In a recent hearing before the Wisconsin State Senate Committee on
Environmental Resources, Nicolet Minerals Company told legislators that
SB 160, proposed legislation to ban the use of cyanide at mines in Wisconsin,
was yet another attempt to prevent the Crandon Mine from being built.
Witnesses, including cyanide experts, a regulator from Colorado, and
the DNR told the Committee that the sodium cyanide needed to process
the zinc and copper ores can be transported and used in a safe and environmentally
responsible manner, and that a ban on cyanide was not needed to protect
Wisconsin's environment.

Nicolet's experts explained how small amounts of sodium cyanide are
used to separate the copper, lead and zinc metals in the processing
circuit. This process, known as froth flotation, has been used safely
for over 70 years. There are no known environmental problems associated
with cyanide use in froth flotation throughout its 70-year history.
The process involves adding small levels of cyanide to enclosed vats
located inside a building which is equipped with: sumps, berms, and
other safeguards to prevent the chemicals used in the process from coming
into contact with the outside environment.

Nicolet said that their employees would receive extensive training
on the safe handling and environmentally responsible use of sodium cyanide.
Additionally, cyanide will be transported to the site in double-walled
containers following strict federal DOT and State DOT requirements for
hauling hazardous materials. These guidelines are already in place for
the cyanide compounds that are currently being shipped safely to approximately
50 other Wisconsin cyanide users located in 17 counties throughout the
state. These businesses nee the chemical for a variety of industrial
processes.

One of the witnesses compared the amount of cyanide that will remain
physically contained in the material used to backfill deep underground
portions of the mine to the levels of cyanide currently allowed in drinking
water. State and federal regulations for drinking water, including bottled
water, allow nearly 200 times he concentration of cyanide compared to
the minute amount that will remain in the cemented backfill that will
go back in the mine. The average cup of coffee contains hundreds of
times more cyanide than that measured in the backfill.

Several witnesses also described road salt as a significant contributor
of cyanide into Wisconsin waters. Iron cyanide, a stable and non-toxic
cyanide compound, is added to road salt as an anti-caking agent. In
1999, Wisconsin used over 750,000,000 pounds of road salt to keep Wisconsin
roads and highways safe for travel during the winter months. The form
of cyanide that will be in the backfill material will be this same stable
and non-toxic iron cyanide compound.

Nicolet told the Senators that the examples of cyanide damage caused
by tailings spills at gold mines in Romania, Guyana, and other foreign
locations often cited by the bill's supporters as evidence that a ban
on cyanide is needed, are not relevant to this debate. First of all,
they are all gold mines. Cyanide is used very differently at gold mines
where much higher concentrations of the chemical are used outdoors.

The Crandon Project is a zinc and copper mine and the use of sodium
cyanide and other flotation reagents poses no more risk than other Wisconsin
applications. "the incidents in Romania and other places used to frighten
people do not and could not occur at carefully regulated mines that
are built, designed and operated to protect the environment, like the
Crandon Mine will be," said Alberts.

Alberts acknowledged that public concerns and fear about cyanide were
valid and understandable, but the track record of industrial use of
the chemical in Wisconsin and throughout the U.S. clearly shows that
it can be used safely. "SB 160 doesn't have anything to do with protecting
the environment. It is just the mining opponents' latest shot at stopping
the Crandon Mine." Alberts said "the Crandon Mine will be the most environmentally
sensitive mine in the country, given the level of scrutiny and study
it has received. In total, through two separate permitting process,
this project has been studied by the DNR for nearly 15 years." NMC remains
confident that we will construct and operate this mine.

The assertion that a basic industry like mining and environmental
protection are mutually exclusive is just plain wrong and we can and
will prove it." Alberts said.

Summerfest May be Tip of Cyanide Berg

Environmentalists fear the cyanide contamination at Milwaukee's Henry
W. Maier Festival Park could be a mere scratch on the surface of what's
hidden along Wisconsin's riverways and backwaters.

A pattern is emerging with former manufactured gas plant sites, the
sources of cyanide pollution, that is causing Todd Ames to question
why more resources are not provided to the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources to correct the problem.

"With each new budget, the DNR gets more responsibility for less staff,
which stretches them further and further," said Ames, executive director
of the Wisconsin River Alliance.

Cyanide was found at the Summerfest grounds in 1994 but has remained
capped under the Summerfest parking lot. The DNR sent letters to the
city of Milwaukee in 1995, instructing the city to conduct further tests
on the contamination, but the city did not act on the order, and the
DNR did not follow up to make sure more testing was completed.

"Even though Summerfest is covered by asphalt, all you need is for
a cable company or gas or water utility to start digging," said Ric
Gass, a Milwaukee lawyer who has been involved in lawsuits surrounding
cyanide contamination. "If they uncover cyanide, and it gets mixed in
a confined area with water, air and sunlight, you could have a dead
worker."

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimates 111 former
manufactured gas plant sites are scattered throughout Wisconsin. Virtually
all of the known sites are located along waterways.

Energy utilities and other corporations are cleaning up 44 of the
sites, but no one in the DNR can say with confidence they are certain
where the toxic waste from the manufactured gas plant operations may
be buried.

By the DNR's count so far, manufactured gas plant sites show up in
30 of the state's largest cities. One DNR spokesman said it stands to
reason the waste, which includes cyanide, benzene, polynuclear aromatic
hydrocarbons and other carcinogens, may eventually show up in dumps
or landfills in or near those 30 cities.

Another common practice 100 or more years ago was to discharge the
manufactured gas plant waste directly into the rivers, stream or lakes
bordering the manufacturing plants, said a DNR spokesman.

At the Summerfest site, the cyanide contamination may be in a dump
that was created to help fill in marshy land along Lake Michigan to
extend the lakeshore.

"We probably have a lot more contaminated sites than we'll ever know
about," said Jack Eslien, the DNR's coal gas technology team leader
who is based in Eau Claire and works on one of the largest manufactured
gas plant cleanup sites in the Midwest at Ashland.

The Ashland gasification plant is now the property of Excel Energy
Corp., formerly Northern States Power Co., Minneapolis. NSP is accepting
responsibility for cleaning up the land next to the former site, but
believes some other company is the cause of the contamination in the
Ashland Bay.

Ashland residents have petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency to designate the 20-acre Excel property as a Superfund site.
The EPA is expected to make a determination before the end of the year.

"I guess the contamination just magically showed in the bay," said
Lee Liebenstein, a DNR spokesman. "If the state could work with Excel
to get this done, it would go a lot faster than if the federal government
turns the Ashland site into an EPA Superfund site."

Cyanide is one of a handful of highly toxic and carcinogenic elements
that can be traced to operations from the manufactured gas plants. In
Wisconsin, coal was used in the manufactured gas plant process to produce
gas that was burned in homes and businesses from the mid 1850s until
the 1950s.

Because cities relied on the gas for lighting and heating, the plants
were clustered in urban centers. Milwaukee and Racine each had two large
plants, while Chicago had 10 operating in the late 1800s.

The introduction of natural gas to Milwaukee rendered the coal gasification
plants obsolete in the 1950s, and many of the gas plants were demolished.
It wasn't until the 1980s that most of the gas plant sites were becoming
candidates for environmental remediation.

"I am baffled why the DNR does not take a more aggressive stance on
MGP (manufactured gas plant) sites," said Gass, who won a $104.5 million
lawsuit on behalf of the city of West Allis against Wisconsin Electric
Power Co. in 1999. The site was contaminated by cyanide-laced chips
believed to be have been placed there by a previous manufactured gas
plant.

WEPCO is appealing the jury verdict.

"To me this is one of the state's biggest environmental headaches,
but I get no sense of urgency from the agency," Gass said.

The DNR has 15 project managers overseeing the cleanup of manufactured
gas plant sites throughout the state.

Wisconsin Energy Corp., the Milwaukee parent company of Wisconsin
Electric, has identified 13 former manufactured gas plant sites around
southeastern Wisconsin and the Fox River Valley that have either been
remediated or soon will be cleaned up.

In addition to the 5-acre 3rd Ward manufactured gas plant location,
a $4 million project has begun in the Menominee River Valley at 27th
Street and St. Paul Avenue.

February 15,
2000

Representatives of five Wisconsin environmental groups today decried
the destruction of the Tisza River in Hungary and Yugoslavia, resulting
from a cyanide spill at a Romanian gold mine owned by the Australian
company Esmeralda Exploration. They made demands of the company proposing
the Crandon mine in Forest County, to drop its plans for the use of
cyanide at the mine site, and to disclose its core samples and reveal
the amount of gold and silver in the deposit.

Zoltán Grossman, a spokesperson for the Wolf Watershed Educational
Project, said that "The Tisza was one of the largest and most beautiful
rivers in Hungary, figuring in many Hungarian songs and legends. Its
waters fed enormous wetlands rich in migrating birds, and its plentiful
fish fed numerous fishing communities. We are angry that metallic mining
has destroyed the river, and the disaster makes us more committed to
protect the pristine Wolf River fishery from the same fate."

Mining companies are increasingly using cyanide to extract gold and
silver from metallic ore. The Crandon mine would use 5 to 18 tons of
sodium cyanide per month during its operation, according to the September
1995 Crandon Mine Permit Application by Foth & Van Dyke (Table 4-9 Typical
Reagent Storage Data). Tom Wilson, co-chair of the mining subcommittee
of the Wisconsin Stewardship Network, and Northern Thunder spokesperson,
observes that "sodium cyanide can be used in the flotation process to
extract precious metals such as gold and silver from the crushed ore."
Environmental, Native American, and sportfishing groups have raised
concerns about the transportation of sodium cyanide and other highly
toxic materials for the Crandon mine over Wisconsin roads and railroads.
Tiny amounts of cyanide is fatal to human beings and animals.

The proposed Crandon mine is commonly referred to as a zinc-copper
mine, but the 1986 Final Environmental Impact Statement (page 2) estimated
that the mine would also produce 60,000 troy ounces of gold and 3,600,000
troy ounces of silver a year. In Wisconsin, mining companies do not
have to reveal economic valuations of proposed mines. They are by law
allowed to keep this important information secret, including assessments
of its exploratory core samples.

"We have suspected for some time that the mining company wants the
Crandon deposit for its gold and silver, because the prices of zinc
and copper have remained very low," said Dave Blouin of the Mining Impact
Coalition, "And by far the most common technique to mine gold is cyanide
extraction, which has caused numerous disasters around the world--from
Colorado and Nevada, to Spain and Romania, and to Guyana and Kyrgyzstan."

Besides environmental concerns, Blouin raised an economic concern
about gold and silver mining in Wisconsin: "We are blocked from knowing
how much gold Kennecott took out of its Ladysmith mine in 1993-97. The
public has long demanded a full accounting of mining profits from all
metals, so the companies cannot get away with natural resource burglary."
The Ladysmith mine did not process ore on-site, but shipped it by rail
to Canada for processing.

That sodium cyanide be removed from the list of toxic substances
allowed for operations at the Crandon site, or at any Wisconsin metallic
mine, much as Montana voters have banned cyanide extraction at mines;

That Nicolet Minerals Company release the secret valuations of
its Crandon exploratory core samples so Wisconsin citizens can know
whether gold or silver cyanide extraction is a future option for the
Crandon mine;

That the Department of Revenue disclose to the public how much
net proceeds tax was paid by the Kennecott Corporation on all metals
at the Ladysmith mine between 1993 and 1997. Al Gedicks, executive
secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, explained:
"Wisconsin's mining tax law needs to be changed so that mining companies
are required to disclose the amount of each metal that is taken out
of an ore body, not just the total net proceeds."

Linda Sturnot of the Mining Impact Coalition in Milwaukee commented that
"This cyanide spill in Europe is a grave reminder of the careless, irresponsible
behavior we have witnessed over and over again by mining companies --
they simply cannot operate their mines safely. Wisconsin citizens must
continue our fight to deny Nicolet Minerals the opportunity to pollute
our precious Wolf River." Rich Bogovich of Wisconsin's Environmental Decade,
said, "This disaster provides proof, once again, that mining companies
the world over will exploit environmental laws. Wisconsin's laws have
their shortcomings, so even here mining companies should not be trusted,
especially when the river at stake is the Wolf."

The Wolf Watershed Educational Project will highlight these demands
at the Wisconsin Students/Youth Rally to Stop the Crandon Mine, planned
for the State Capitol on Saturday, April 29 at 1 pm. The group is now
conducting a statewide speaking tour to colleges, high schools, and
youth clubs. For more information, call the toll-free Mining Hotline
at (800) 445-8615 or log on http://www.treatyland.com.
Posters are available on-line at http://treaty.insigenousnative.org/poster_info.html.

Public Concerns Regarding
the Proposed Crandon Mine, and DNR Answers

17. Q: Describe the chemical process whereby cyanide from process
water will be removed by the wastewater treatment plant if necessary.

A: Process wastewater containing cyanide would not normally be treated
by the wastewater treatment system. Instead, the process water is proposed
to be in a closed cycle where it would enter the tailings pond with
the tailings, flow into the reclaim pond, and be sent back to the mill
for reuse. Once in the TMA, the cyanide would initially exist as hydrogen
cyanide (HCN) and cyanide ions (CN-) because of the high pH of the process
water (pH 10-11).

Some of the HCN present may evaporate into the air, but most would
remain in solution. The remaining HCN would dissociate to hydrogen ions
(H+) and CN- or be transformed to ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide (CO2),
thiocyanate (SCN-), or metallocyanides (MeCN), depending on whether
or not the process takes place in the presence of oxygen. Either way,
SCN- or MeCN are both much less toxic than HCN. MeCN or SCN- would remain
in the TMA or move out in the leachate or exfiltrate.

Periodically, however, some water from the reclaim pond would have
to be treated for discharge. Cyanide in the form of sodium cyanide,
used in the mill mineral concentration process, is a very toxic substance.
However, the oxygen in air degrades it into carbon dioxide and ammonia
gases. The wastewater treatment process should introduce enough air
to the wastewater to promote this degradation.

Cyanide is expected to be present in the TMA in very low concentrations.
The concentrations should be below acute toxicity for any realistic
oral ingestion of the pond water and for dermal contact. Cyanide is
not likely to be a significant concern at the TMA, either long-term
or short-term. The wastewater permit would contain cyanide monitoring
and a limit to assure cyanide wouldn't be discharged at toxic concentrations.

TRANSPORTATION RISKS

68. Q: What highways and railroads will be used to transport Exxon's
toxic chemicals such as sodium cyanide? How often are the shipments?
Is there a contingency plan during icy road conditions? Has the medical
community been canvassed regarding their ability to handle toxic spill
medical emergencies?

A: Of the chemical reagents listed in Crandon Mining Company's Environmental
Impact Report, only five are regulated by the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation and required to carry hazardous warning placards for
transport on Wisconsin roadways. The following is a list of these chemical
reagents, the estimated quantities and the projected monthly number
of truck loads:

The first three of the above listed chemical reagents
are proposed to be used during the 28-year mill operation. The sulfuric
acid and sodium hydroxide are used for water treatment processes which
may continue for several years following mine closure. Other products
used in the mine, mill, repair shops and laboratories may carry various
warning labels but are not included on the list requiring DOT placards
during transport.

Crandon Mining Company's preferred method of shipment
of these reagents would be by truck. The actual trucking routes would
be dependent upon the supplier, which has not been determined at this
time. Supplies would likely come from one of the following distribution
centers: Chicago, IL; St. Paul, MN; Duluth, MN; Milwaukee, WI, or Green
Bay, WI. Due to economic considerations, the only hazardous reagent
that may be shipped by rail is sulfur dioxide. The Department has not
canvassed the medical community on this issue, and has no responsibility
to do so. Under Federal law (EPCRA, The Emergency Planning & Community
Right to Know Act of 1986), however, companies must report annually
the chemicals held on site to both the local fire department and the
county emergency government director. Therefore, these teams would have
knowledge about the chemicals existing on site in the event of an emergency.
Chemicals in transport to the site are not the responsibility of the
Crandon Mining Company, but rather of the transport company. The transport
company, regulated by the state and federal Departments of Transportation,
would presumably have its own contingency plans with regard to spills
or icy conditions. (DNR, 1997).

Wisconsin Campaign to
Ban Cyanide in Mining

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BAN
CYANIDE IN MINING

The Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining invites all community
groups and local governments to join in the effort to protect our environment
from the threat of a cyanide disaster. Spills that we have seen in other
countries can and have occurred here in the U.S. The Crandon mine plans
to use up to 20 tons a month of sodium cyanide, which would be shipped
in to the mine site on northern Wisconsin roads. No matter what processing
method is used at the mine site, we cannot risk the release of even
tiny amounts of cyanide into our waterways and fisheries.

After the Winter 2000 cyanide disaster in Europe, five Wisconsin groups--the
Wolf Watershed Educational Project/Midwest Treaty Network, Mining Impact
Coalition, Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, Northern Thunder,
and Wisconsin's Environmental Decade--called for a ban on cyanide in
Wisconsin mines. Legislation will be introduced into the next session
of the Wisconsin Legislature to prohibit the use of cyanide in mining--based
on similar efforts in Montana, Colorado, and the Australian state of
New South Wales. NOW is the time to begin to support this campaign,
and make it a top issue in the Fall election !!! For more background
information, see the factsheet below, or http://treaty.insigenousnative.org/cyanide.html.

Circulate PETITION to Ban Cyanide in Mining. Print off the
petition to ban cyanide in mining at http://treaty.insigenousnative.org/petition.html
and get as many signatures as you can from your group, friends,
and family, and at events such as fairs, powwows, concerts, etc.
Print off and distribute the factsheet at the end of this message.
Send completed petitions to the the Wolf Watershed Educational Project,
c/o Midwest Treaty Network, P.O. Box 14382, Madison, WI 53714-4382.

Pledge Campaign for CANDIDATES. Demand that your State Assembly
and Senate candidates (both incumbents and challengers) pledge to
support a prohibition on cyanide in mining: "I hereby pledge to
support and vote in favor of legislation to prohibit the use of
all cyanide in Wisconsin mines and metallic ore processing facilities."

Pass a GROUP RESOLUTION. in your environmental organization,
rod & gun club, union, church, fishing group, student group, Hazmat
team, etc. (and any other community groups) for a cyanide ban in
mining. **You can also simply respond to this letter and ask that
your group be signed on to the Campaign.** All groups that passed
resolutions for the 1998 mining moratorium bill should sign on to
the new campaign as one way to potentially slow or stop the Crandon
mine and other possible mines. Take the wording from the local government
resolution below, and please send copies to the Wolf Watershed Educational
Project.

Share Information and GATHER DATA. Help the Campaign gather
data about cyanide in mining. Send the Campaign any information
you have -- newspaper clippings, emails, webpage links, organization
contact information -- about problems with cyanide in mining and
groups in other countries and states that are working to ban cyanide
in mining.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION. Have your local village, township,
and county governments pass the following Local Government Resolution
supporting a prohibition on the use of cyanide in Wisconsin mines,
and send a copy to the WWEP. (If you are a tribal member, ask your
representatives to introduce a similar resolution in your tribal
council.)